How reducing food waste fights climate change
Reducing food waste would not only help feed the world鈥檚 hungry, it would also mitigate climate change, say scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in a study published Thursday.聽
鈥淎gricultural production in general produces emissions, for example, by land conversion or overuse of fertilizer,鈥� Jurgen Kropp, lead author of the study, tells 海角大神 in an email. And while 鈥渆missions from agriculture cannot be completely avoided,鈥� notes Mr. Kropp, the world overestimates demand, producing far more food than the world could ever consume.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that for human consumption is wasted, including 45 percent of all fruit and vegetables, 35 percent of seafood, 30 percent of cereals and 20 percent of both meat and dairy products. Food waste in 2012 had a carbon footprint of 3.3 gigatonnes, meaning that if this waste was a country, it would rank in greenhouse gas emissions.聽
Kropp and his colleagues at PIK say now is the time to address the world鈥檚 wasteful agriculture practices, before populated countries like India and China adopt consumption levels on par with the US and Europe.
鈥淲e found that food [waste] is mainly a pattern in highly developed countries,鈥� Kropp writes, adding that the direct correlation between development and food waste has been acknowledged for decades. 鈥淭he more the development level increases, or the higher the income is, the more people request typical Western diets of more calories [and] more animal products.鈥� 聽
The US Environmental Protection Agency says Americans produced 35 million tons of food waste in 2013,聽. (Put differently, Americans throw away enough food every day to fill up the Rose Bowl stadium 鈥� about per family, per year.) This is a troubling statistic, says the EPA, because decomposing food, in addition to being the single greatest contributor to landfills, also emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.聽
Along with emitting methane, food loss wastes fossil fuel resources. 鈥淲hen you look at the oil that鈥檚 used in producing food that鈥檚 wasted, it鈥檚 that we lost in the Deepwater Horizon disaster,鈥� Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told NPR鈥檚 The Salt.聽
And addressing the world鈥檚 food surplus solves a humanitarian issue, as well as an environmental one. As the world鈥檚 population continues to grow, suggest the authors, global food demand is projected to increase by 110 percent by 2050. 聽
鈥淗ence, this inefficiency in the food supply chain needs to be addressed to reduce agricultural related environmental consequences and climate burdens,鈥� write Kropp and his colleagues in their paper. 鈥淎ddressing this challenge will also lower the future food demand. Therefore, to feed around 9 billion people by 2050, in addition to increasing food production, the key underlying questions that remain be answered are how can we make the food supply chain smarter and more efficient, and how can consumers be convinced to reduce food waste.鈥澛�
To in the US, the EPA tells shoppers to make a grocery list before going to the store, avoid overbuying, utilize the freezer and compost food scraps whenever possible. And Kropp says the 鈥榰gly food鈥� movement gaining steam in the US and Europe has serious waste-reducing potential.聽
鈥淚magine that retailers often have guidelines,鈥� says Kropp. 鈥淐ucumbers must be straight, otherwise they don鈥檛 sell them, or apples need to have a nice shape otherwise they will be thrown away. This is not necessary and in some countries local food cooperatives take this unused food and make it available for poorer people or other consumers.鈥澛�
